Library Hotel in New York sued

by Suw on September 22, 2003

The Online Computer Centre, owners of the Dewey Decimal System, are suing the Library Hotel in New York (about which I’ve blogged before) for trademark infringement, hoping to gain three times the hotel’s profits since opening or three times the organisation’s damages, whichever is greater.

It’s a shame that such lawsuits get filed – the real pull of the hotel, surely, is not that the room numbers use the Dewey Decimal System, but that each one is themed around a certain subject and contains books and works of art about said subject. Using the Dewey Decimal System is a nice touch, but doesn’t seem to me to be central to the concept. They could as easily have made up their own numbering system.

I don’t see why the Online Computer Centre couldn’t have collaborated with the Library Hotel and used the whole thing as a nice bit of PR. Instead, they look like a bunch of over-litigious money-grabbers. I just hope that they don’t win.

(via Scripting News, via The Trademark Blog from TBO.)

Cal September 22, 2003 at 4:42 pm

Working in a library I find that very interesting. And you're right about the litigation. These companies are not only greedy but stupid.

Visit me @ http://cal.blog-city.com

A visitor November 17, 2003 at 1:53 am

ive passed by this hotel before. charming.
i wonder how much rooms costs.

Miss Existentialist

Suw November 17, 2003 at 8:33 am

I believe it's quite expensive, and not as good as it sounds like it should be. Certainly Neil Gaiman wasn't impressed.

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